Night in a College Town Bar

I was fortunate enough to spend my spring break in Phoenix, AZ because my best friend goes to Arizona State. We had a lot of fun enjoying the sunshine, laying by the pool, hiking mountains, and so much more. I got to meet a wide variety of people, primarily from the west coast. It was interesting to see the differences between them and people you would encounter at a Midwestern university. However, my friend and I also encountered a lot of similarities between the men in particular.

My two friends and I went to a bar one night and got a table for the three of us near the dance floor. There was a table of about four guys next to us. They decided to come over to talk to us. Everything was friendly until one of the men I was speaking to suddenly grabbed my arm and said “C’mon, let’s go dance.” It wasn’t a question, it was a statement. I pulled back and kindly replied, “No thank you, I really just want to sit here with my friends.” He started to pull more on my arm, asking why not and dismissing any response I’d give him. After he seemed to give up, he quickly left our table to go talk to someone else. A similar situation happened to one of my friends when we went to a different bar. She clearly didn’t want to dance with a guy but he had pulled at her waist and coerced her enough to give in.

This leaves me wondering: Why can’t men be respectful when being told no? Why can’t they accept that and not push a woman into doing something she doesn’t want to? Please take a look at my second blog post for my further discussion.

I’m a senior at Illinois State University pursuing a degree in Organizational Leadership Communication. I’m currently a Public Relations and Marketing intern for YWCA McLean County. I’d like to pursue a career in Public Relations after graduating this May.